Chapter 108

Everyone’s seeing something different. Uriel, Beatrix, and Yohan were at a loss, their minds swirling with confusion.

Right here, right now, there’s not a single liar present.

“What… what? Are we all seeing different things?”

“It’s possible to show people what they want to see. Just what kind of trickery is this? The phrase ‘uncanny’ fits perfectly.”

“A demon’s face changing? I don’t get it. Something’s off.”

“Uriel, do you have any idea what’s going on here? This feels like something out of a spooky tale…”

Beatrix asked in a flustered voice, her brow furrowed. Uriel rested his chin on his hand for a moment.

Of course, even Uriel had no clue about this situation. Though the world was brimming with mysteries born from chaos, even she, who had been an archangel, had never heard or seen anything like this—how could someone perceive the face of a companion, with whom they’d spent 500 years, differently?

No, it wasn’t entirely unheard of. He had seen something similar once before.

“The Demon King Canos…”

“Yes?”

“Canos, the Demon King said to have appeared 500 years ago. I’ve heard that he can freely alter his form…”

“Changing forms and being perceived differently are two completely different things.”

“True, but…”

Uriel trailed off.

He muttered under his breath, lost in thought.

“Canos and Chaos… and changing appearances… Is this really just a coincidence…?”

“What did you just say?”

“It’s nothing. But tell me, will you truly follow the guide’s orders as you stated earlier, despite noticing something strange about him?”

“Um… Yes, my intention hasn’t changed. My lord must have had a reason for keeping secrets.”

“…You’re loyal to the point of being dog-like.”

“…”

After throwing Beatrix a rough remark that could be taken as either praise or insult, Uriel spread his wings. Two enormous white wings, now grown large enough to block out the sky, unfolded brilliantly.

“Uriel?”

“Why me, angel?”

“Follow the guide’s lead. I, however, have my own business to attend to.”

“Uriel, is that wise?”

“Until now, I trusted Michael and followed Oscar. But there are too many suspicious things. I need to uncover his true identity. If I find out, I’ll let you know.”

With that abrupt farewell, Uriel flapped his wings. A rush of air twisted as something white ascended into the sky.

Flying through the emerald skies of the Demon Forest, Uriel pondered deeply.

“All information regarding Chaos is classified as top-secret, accessible only to the three Great Archangels. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael wouldn’t allow me access just because I want it.”

The angel’s eyes gleamed sharper than ever.

“The Angel of Secrets, Raziel. She manages all the world’s secrets. In the Book of Raziel, Sepher Raziel, every secret in existence is written. I’ll go to her.”

***

Faith. To firmly believe in and follow the teachings of one’s object of devotion. To obey someone’s words sincerely and worship them wholeheartedly.

Right now, I am praying.

Slowly, yet clearly. Without interruption.

My god is not Maria. It’s Meta. Meta, the god of all goblins and the great transcendent entity that extends salvation even to non-goblins.

We call it Gott (God).

Yes, Meta is a god. With fervent sincerity, I clasp my hands together tightly. In a posture both sacred and earnest, I offer up a devout prayer.

Bravo, Meta.

My god, my lord, my desire.

My creation.

Go forth and devour the gods.

***

“Grr…”

Tap tap.

The long-eared wolf-beast Aru flicked its tail against the ground.

Though it wanted to run around and break things to relieve its boredom, it couldn’t. Not because of the eighteen-year-old promise made by a demon.

‘Bored bored bored bored bored.’

Darkness had long since become familiar. Even in the most enclosed space, after spending over a decade here, the darkness felt like bright daylight to Aru now.

But making noise was forbidden. Eighteen years ago, a certain demon had sternly warned against loud sounds, vibrations, or echoes.

“Keeeee! Keeee! Nng, nng!”

Perhaps the most terrible pain is the loneliness of solitude. For eighteen years, Aru hadn’t spoken to anyone, and its mouth itched endlessly. It wanted to howl or bark loudly to express its inner turmoil, but such restraint would’ve been impossible for any ordinary werewolf.

“Demon… when will you come out…? I’m struggling…”

Lying flat on the cold cave floor, Aru crawled forward awkwardly, resembling more a worm than a wolf king—a reflection of extreme boredom.

Aru walked to the stone chamber where Oscar had entered eighteen years ago. The rectangular stone chamber, big enough for one person, held Oscar inside.

The urge to smash it open and check if he was alive burned fiercely. Without time in the cave, Aru had no idea how long it had been.

“Keee… Should I break it? What if, by some chance, the young demon starved to death…”

Though werewolves resemble humans more than beasts, they aren’t nearly as patient. And waiting patiently for eighteen years would challenge even most humans.

Aru paced anxiously near the stone chamber, growling softly like steam escaping.

Tap, tap, tap.

Unable to stay still, Aru’s tail kept tapping against the stone room, each strike filled with obsessive determination.

“No… the young demon told me not to. I have to wait… I have to…”

But Aru was no ordinary beast; as the Wolf King, his royal resolve wouldn’t falter so easily.

“Kiiiiiiing!”

As Aru rubbed his face against the entrance of the stone chamber, suddenly—

Whoosh!

“Grr!?”

The chest that a goblin shaman had entered eighteen years ago began glowing with purple energy and shaking. The area was bathed in a violet glow.

Startled by the sudden change, Aru’s eyes sparkled. Whatever Oscar had done, this unexpected commotion was a welcome distraction from her monotonous life.

BOOM!

The chest exploded under the pressure of the purple energy, sending shards flying everywhere. Through the rising mist, a figure could be seen.

A figure with an extremely long nose.

“Grr! Meta! GRR GRR GRR!”

Aru barked joyfully upon seeing the figure.

‘GRR GRR… Meta has emerged…!’

Aru’s obsessive thoughts quickly focused downward. She glanced at the stone chamber beneath her feet.

BOOM!

Without hesitation, Aru slammed her forepaws down. The ceiling crumbled as though struck by a heavy blunt force, accompanied by a deafening roar.

“DEMON! DEMON! Young demon!”

As the roof collapsed, Aru plummeted into the chamber. Barely big enough for one person, the chamber already contained a presence.

But who is Aru? The pinnacle of werewolves, possessing supreme reflexes. Agilely stepping on the wall, Aru adjusted her trajectory, resulting in—

Swoosh!

“DEMON! YOUNG DEMON!”

“Ow! Hey, hey, it hurts! You stupid mutt! Back off!”

“DEMON! GRRR! YOUNG DEMON! So glad to see you!”

“I get it! I get it! Just back off! I’ve got no strength left, okay!”

With perfect precision, Aru landed right in the lap of the demon sitting in the chamber. Emaciated from years of starvation, the demon’s body was alarmingly thin.

But such details didn’t matter to Aru, overwhelmed with joy. She wriggled excitedly, licking the demon’s face repeatedly until it was covered in drool.

“Grrr! You damn poop-dog!”

The demon struggled to push the wolf-beast away with trembling arms weakened from malnutrition but managed to escape Aru’s grip and climb out through the broken remnants of the chamber.

“Whoooaahh! Finally seeing the light again!”

Tall stature, a white suit with noticeable wrinkles, and for some reason, a pale white mask that looked eerily powerless.

With all these traits combined, the demon stood tall.

Seeing the demon, a goblin—or rather, something far greater now—called out cheerfully.

“Master Oscar!!”

To which Oscar turned with a satisfied smile.

“Yes, Meta! The Goblin God I created!”

Had the earth not trembled violently moments later with a colossal explosion above the cave, their emotional reunion might have continued.

BOOOOOM!

“GRR!? GRR GRR!”

“What, what is that!?”

“Oh… finally here. My old friends.”

The heavens split open, mountains split apart.

From the cracks came pouring down an army spanning millennia—the gods.

At the forefront of the army were several mighty beings.

For example, a god holding lightning in his hand, radiating scorching heat.

Or a god gripping the divine spear Gungnir with both hands, descending with a regal expression.

And another, wielding the massive hammer Mjolnir, spiraling down—a towering, muscular red-haired deity.

To them, Oscar raised his exhausted arms wide and shouted.

“Welcome, noble lords!”

—

The goddess of war, wisdom, and technology, Athena.

While usually observing the mortal realm from the celestial plane, bestowing blessings on warriors in dire straits, Athena noticed a familiar burst of energy emanating from the ground.

It was the energy explosion signaling the birth of a new god. Intrigued, Athena sought its origin.

Being in opposition to the god of war Ares, Athena prioritized forming connections with other gods to gain an edge over him. Thus, the emergence of a new god was significant news—whether beneficial or detrimental remained unclear.

Of course, given how rare the birth of a god was, many others shared her interest. Gods from Olympus and their long-time rivals from Asgard alike converged on the scene.

Since gods cannot kill one another, no slaughter ensued, but tensions ran high.

“Hmm? The continent? No, it’s the Demon Forest. Has a god ever been born there?”

Athena frowned slightly as she tracked the source of the energy. A god being born in the Demon Forest was unprecedented.

Nevertheless, theoretically, it wasn’t impossible. Quickly leaving the Celestial Realm, Athena opened a dimensional portal and arrived at the Demon Forest.

Already, numerous gods were scrambling to locate the source of the energy. Unlike the angels of the Celestial Realm, gods could enter the Demon Realm without severe penalties.

“There!”

Zeus, Athena’s father and god of thunder, pointed at a rocky hill and called out. Various pantheons gathered toward Zeus’s direction.

“Odin! Thor! Frey!”

“Zeus, Hermes, Athena… Long time no see. Roughly two thousand years, right?”

“You bastards, why are you here? Get lost!”

“You know that won’t happen. Keep quiet. We’ll recruit this new god.”

“Not without a fight! Thunder, strike now!”

Zeus extended his arm skyward in anger, summoning a bolt of lightning that split the mountain. Without hesitation, the gods dove into the crater.

Athena swallowed nervously, anticipation building. She even considered kidnapping the newborn god if necessary. Many of the descending gods shared similar dark thoughts.

However, upon landing and encountering the filthy, chaotic divine aura…

“Welcome, noble lords!”

‘Goblin…?’

Even Athena, the goddess of wisdom who maintained composure in any situation, found her mind blanketed in a blinding wave of confusion.

---